The present invention relates to apparatus and related methods for carrying loads with a motor vehicle. It is primarily directed to means and methods for carrying loads with a motor vehicle other than through the use of traditional integral components of the motor vehicle itself, namely the trunk or other storage region of the vehicle that was included with the vehicle as manufactured.
Several devices and techniques have been used in the past for carrying loads with motor vehicles. One technique for carrying loads with a vehicle involves the use of a trailer hitch attached to the rear end of the vehicle, the trailer hitch typically including a spherical member, a "ball," which engages a socket of a trailer. Trailers have been used for hauling boats, snowmobiles, campers and miscellaneous items.
Trailer systems, as a class, possess several shortcomings. For one, it is often difficult to maneuver the motor vehicle with the trailer attached. This is particularly true when the motor vehicle and trailer are being operated in reverse. Also, trailers include their own set of wheels and a suspension system and these components are expensive and subject to failure and maintenance problems in many cases.
Additionally, many trailers are specifically designed for a particular purpose and this can be quite inconvenient. For example, if the owner of a motor vehicle wishes to carry both a motorcycle and a boat and his trailer is only capable of carrying the boat, he will not be able to transport the motorcycle in most cases.
Another type of load-carrying system that has been used with motor vehicles is the top carrier system. Here, racks or brackets are attached to the top of the vehicle, either on the trunk lid or the topmost portion of the vehicle, and the items which are to be carried are strapped to the brackets or racks. Clearly, this system is limited to relatively light loads which are not terribly bulky or unwieldy.
Still another system which has been utilized is the bicycle rack which attaches to the front or back of the vehicle. The bicycles are typically positioned so that they are carried in a rack above the ground and the bikes are substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle. If the rack is mounted on the front of the motor vehicle and the bicycles are connected thereto, the forward visability of the driver is at least partially blocked. Furthermore, if the bicycle rack and bicycles are mounted to the rear of the vehicle, this very often interferes with trailer towing. Also, such bicycle racks are designed only for very light loads and are typically limited to carrying bicycles or similar loads.
The prior art also includes a motorcycle rack which is suitable for attaching to the front of a vehicle. Clearly, such a rack presents the potential of blocking the vision of the driver as did the front-mounted bicycle rack. This type of rack includes a fixable portion which attaches to an undersurface of the vehicle, i.e., the frame of the vehicle, and a movable portion which engages with the fixable portion during use and is removed when the motorcycle is not being transported. In order to engage the movable portion of the rack with the fixable portion of the rack, the movable portion is positioned beneath the front end of the motor vehicle and raised so that it aligns with the fixable portion of the rack. Locking means are then used to lock the individual portions of the rack together. The engaging process is quite inconvenient since the owner of the vehicle has to raise the movable portion of the rack into alignment with the portion attached to the frame prior to locking the portions together. Additionally, this type of motorcycle rack is only useful for motorcycles or loads having similar physical characteristics. That is, it is not generally applicable to other types of loads that are bulky or unwieldy.
The present invention is directed to the shortcomings of the load-carrying devices discussed above. Specifically, the present invention includes a method and an apparatus for carrying a load with a motor vehicle wherein the load is carried near the rear end of the vehicle so as not to block the vision of the driver. Also, although the rack includes a movable portion and a fixed or fixable portion suitable for connecting to an undersurface of a vehicle as did the prior art motorcycle rack discussed above, the fixable and movable portions are readily slid into engagement so that the movable portion does not have to be raised vertically into position prior to interlocking the movable and fixable portions of the rack. Additionally, the present invention includes a motorcycle rack but also includes a utility platform which can be used to carry loads having a variety of shapes and masses. That is, the movable portion of the rack can be suitable for carrying a motorcycle or suitable for carrying other types of loads.
Therefore, when the present invention is employed the driver's forward vision is not blocked, the vehicle's maneuverability is not hindered by a trailer and massive and unwieldy loads can be transported with the rack. Also, in one embodiment of the present invention, a motorcycle or the like can be carried while a trailer is simultaneously pulled.